MONSOON WATCH: France and India have collaborated to create and launch the 1 tonne Megha-Tropiques satellite that will study patterns of the monsoon. The satellite's low-inclination orbit around the equator means it will pass over India almost 12 times a day. The satellite will share its data with meteorological organisations in Europe and the US. In case they start having monsoons too? BBC has more.
SALTY MAGNETS: How big's that hard drive in your computer? 500 megabytes? A terabyte? That's nothing. Researchers at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering in Singapore have found out how to store 18 terabytes on a disc. A new electron-beam lithography process uses sodium chloride, or salt, to enhance the developer solution. The salt allows magnetic clusters to pack together more efficiently and with greater density. The new approach uses the same sort of equipment and technology currently used to create disk media, rather than requiring a whole new setup. A pinch of salt makes so many things better. Ars Technica.
GREEN BY RED LIGHT: A high power red LED prototype from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors converts 61% of the electrical energy it receives into light — a new record in efficiency. The chip emits at a wavelength of 609 nm and achieved a record value of 201 lm/W at an operating current of 40 mA. LED colour mixing systems can produce any kind of white light, such as Neutral, Warm or Daylight. Once in production the new prototype will reduce power consumption. Warm daylight sounds good. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has more.
NISSAN LEAD THE CHARGE: If you have an electric vehicle you probably need to leave it overnight to charge up. Wouldn't it be so much better if it took only 10 minutes to charge? Nissan say they now have that technology. The new system uses tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide for the electrode inside a capacitor instead of carbon. Unfortunately it could take a decade to commercialise the technology. That eight hour charging time is a significant drawback. NYDailyNews.com.
RADIO BRAKES: Computer scientists at Saarland University in Germany want to make bikes wireless by doing away with brake cables. Their calculations suggest their system would be 99.999999999997% safe. Sensors in the handgrip detect how tight you're holding on. Once a specific pressure threshold is crossed a radio signal is sent to a disc brake. If it's all configured correctly the bike can brake within 250 milliseconds. That means that at 30 Kph a cyclist has 2 metres to react to danger. Best hope you're not terrified by a situation that needs a burst of speed or those brakes may be a problem with you holding on too tight. Alpha Galileo.
